Israel Eases Exit Restrictions on Gaza Scholars

Congratulations to Israel in its ongoing efforts to solve tensions under difficult circumstances

Times article

By ETHAN BRONNER

Published: June 6, 2008

TEL AVIV, Israel — Senior Israeli officials said on Thursday that they would no longer stop all Palestinians who have foreign study grants from leaving Gaza

and would look favorably upon their applications for exit permits, a
change from the near total Israeli ban on movement out of Gaza, the Hamas-controlled coastal strip, since late 2007.

The officials said the decision had been made by Defense Minister Ehud Barak
in the aftermath of the embarrassing misunderstanding with the American
State Department last week that resulted in the cancellation of
Fulbright grants to Gaza and then a hurried reinstatement of them. The
officials, from the Defense Ministry, spoke on the condition they not
be identified by name.